Various types of motor vehicles, such as pickup trucks and SUTs (sport utility trucks), are provided with tailgates that provide access to cargo beds. The tailgates for these vehicles are often hinged at the bottom of the tailgate and operatively connected to the rear end of the cargo bed. To access the cargo bed, tailgates may be opened and closed, either manually or by a power control apparatus. When in the closed position, the tailgate is secured to the cargo bed using latches on lateral ends of the tailgate that operatively engage with striker pins extending from sidewalls of the cargo bed. To insure that the latches properly engage the striker pins, it is often necessary to exert a large amount of force to lift the tailgate into the closed position and proper engagement.
In some instances, it may be desirable to selectively remove the tailgate from the vehicle. However, with conventional hinge mechanisms, removal of the tailgate requires specific tools and removal is often cumbersome, especially for tailgates that are connected to a power control apparatus. Accordingly, there is a need for tailgate hinge mechanism that may be used to selectively remove the tailgate from a vehicle with minimal effort and that may be suitable for use with a power control apparatus.